Monday, 20 February 2023 | Vinod Chamoli | NEW TEHRI
The effect of climate change is clearly visible in the mountainous areas. According to the data study of GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, the temperature is rising due to the side effects of global warming in the central Himalayan region including Tehri. Studying data of 30 years has also revealed that the number of rainy days is decreasing. At the same time, the distribution of rainfall has become abnormal. Due to this, sometimes there is drought and sometimes there is excessive rain.There has been a lot of change in the weather of the central Himalayan region in the past few years.
Professor RK Singh, a meteorologist from GBPUAT has been studying weather data for the last 30 years. The study revealed that during the past 30 years in the Himalayan region, the maximum temperature before 2001 had increased by 0.16 degrees Celsius per five years, but in the two decades since 2001, it has increased by one degree Celsius. At the same time, the minimum temperature is decreasing by 0.12 degree Celsius per five years.The special thing is that there has been a decrease of 23.8 percent in rainfall in 30 years whereas a decrease of 17.6 per cent has been recorded in the number of rainy days. Along with this, an increase in the frequency of heavy rainfall has been recorded in the last 10 years. Along with the considerable change in the rainfall cycle, there has also been a change in the timing of the monsoon. Earlier the monsoon used to arrive between June 10 and 15, but now the monsoon is reaching in the final days of June.
There has been of 50 per cent in snowfall especially in the last 30 years.Due to less snowfall, the problem of pests damaging the crops has started increasing in the region. Earlier in the winter days, due to snowfall for many days, the insect pests could not breed and now due to the decreasing snowfall, this problem is also increasing. Due to climate change, Buransh (rhododendron) has started blooming much earlier. Singh said that climate change has accelerated due to increasing human interference in the forests. Increasing vehicular pollution in the mountains, increasing population and exploitation of forests are largely responsible for climate change. If it is not taken care of in time, serious side effects of this change may be experienced, he added.
